A fading film star, men from her past and a beautiful setting. Perfect setting for a good suspense thriller; and A Closetful of Skeletons delivers that, almost.

Ramola is a retired movie star who has left Mumbai and is now settled in Ramsar, a small town in the mountains. She day she decides to write a memoir where she bares it all about her life and takes in Tia for help. And for dramatic effect she invites all her previous lovers for her 40th birthday. But on the very next day of her birthday, she is brutally killed in her bedroom and thus, starts the hunt for her murderer. The main investigator here is a retired Colonel, who on account of his experience and keen observation helps the police figure out the murder.

Tanushree Podder’s characters are good and she has given a complete background of all the major characters. There is a lot of Agatha Christie touch to the writing. Clearly, our author is a fan of Christie and it shows. I liked the writing but I felt that at times the narration slowed down. The murder takes place at about midpoint and by then you just want someone to die so that the story moves on. The story did need a faster approach and crisper editing.

My rating: 3.5/5